Hikari Gaiden
by Memorium Activity
Summary: Hikari, noble lady of the Land of the Sun, has been arranged to marry Hiashi Hyuga. Both of them have different ideas. OC/Hiashi, OC/Tsume, OC/OC. A prequel to The Sun Kunoichi, but you don't have to have read that.
1. Chapter One

Hello!

Long ago (2010), I began writing _The Sun Kunoichi_ , a really really _really_ long NaruHina adventure. Part of what made that fic so absurdly long was the fact that I featured flashbacks to the previous generation, with the main character being Hinata's mother, an original character of mine. However, the flashback business kind of broke down when it was overwhelming the presence of the actual present-day stuff, so I removed all of it from TSK. The readers who liked the flashbacks asked me to post them again, and so we have this fic.

Hopefully you won't have to read _The Sun Kunoichi_ to enjoy this (or vice versa), but it is a prequel so there'll be future-references. Either way, whether it's the first time you're seeing this or not, I hope you enjoy it.

00000

 _Hikari Gaiden_

 _Chapter One_

 **Thirteen Years Before The Nine-Tailed Fox Attack**

The wheels of the carriage rolled with their familiar imperfections, each a little misshapen in their own way. It was hard at first, but the groove was well-worn in the passengers' minds by now, and each had learned to deal with it.

Four ninja in Konoha headbands sat inside the carriage, each sparing frequent glances at their quarry.

One was a tall man, his short, spiked brown hair flopping a little as he'd been forced to squeeze himself into the small space. His face was marked with small red triangles on either side, and the pupils of his eyes were thin. There was a massive dog at his feet, which did little to help the legroom issue, but the man would never have gone without it. He was Kegawa of the Inuzuka clan, and he led the squad of ninja.

The squad were all genin in their early teens, two boys and a girl. One of the boys was tall and thin with short dark brown hair, and he frequently shot contemptuous looks at the girl beside him. This was either the cause of, or retaliation for the way the purple-haired girl kept smirking at him; it was very hard to tell with the pair. The boy was named Ando and the girl Akane, and to their credit, they had very quickly realised that arguing loudly on a very long journey was an easy way to get thrown out of the carriage, possibly off a cliff. They had thus resolved to only annoy each other in perfect silence, ignoring the regular jostling of the slightly misshapen wheels.

The second boy was Tosuda, a portly boy who came from the Akimichi clan. He was quiet and studious, and mostly kept to himself. But even he glanced here and there at the girl beside him, for she was the reason they were in the carriage in the first place.

Her hair was long and brown-black, falling over her round face and deep green eyes, reaching down to her shoulders. Her skin was slightly darker than the average for a Konoha citizen, and her cheekbones were more prominent. She was a little taller than most other fourteen year old girls Kegawa had seen, and was built stocky. She wore a maroon robe that wrapped around her torso, tied together with small clasps. Its sleeves were very long, so much that they would have completely passed over her hands and then some, if not for the way she'd bunched them up. She wore a brief, stiff-looking skirt with vibrant colours, and long black pants beneath that.

Her shoes were thick leather boots, but she held those in her arms, out of concern for accidentally stepping on the dog's paw. A little dried mud had fallen on her lap a few hours before, but she had just rubbed it in as hard as she could, claiming that spreading it out would make everything more even. She was Hikari, a royal lady of the Land of the Sun.

"Kegawa-san?"

Kegawa looked to his charge.

"Yes, Lady Hikari?"

Hikari nodded out the window, where the thick forests of the Land of Fire passed slowly by.

"Those trees are dropping their leaves, but it's spring," she said. "How does that make sense?"

Kegawa chuckled.

"That's just one of the mysteries of life," he said. "Trees in the Land of Fire drop leaves all day, every day, for the entire year. Why? I have no idea. They just do."

"Maybe it's a disease," suggested Akane.

"You shut up," said Ando. "Nowhere else in the world has trees that do that. They're a symbol of the Land of Fire's great heritage."

"Well, maybe it's a _good_ disease," said Akane.

"How can you have a _good_ disease?!"

Kegawa shook his head in exhaustion as Ando and Akane broke their silence. He didn't bother to stop them because their arguments inevitably blew over as fast as they started, but he wished they'd kept quiet just a little longer. The carriage would reach the village soon, and he didn't want Hikari in a bad mood. He just prayed she thought most Konoha ninja were like Tosuda, who was at least _quiet_ , instead of those two.

His dog gave a mumble of distaste, and Kegawa patted her twice, enjoying the sensation of his fingers on her soft fur.

As he saw Kegawa look back out the window, Tosuda put his left shin up onto his right leg and pulled out his kunai. Looking over his kunai's edge carefully, Tosuda satisfied himself with its sharpness, then pushed it to his metal shin guard and carved a deep, straight scratch into it, alongside several others.

"Aren't those meant to be for confirmed kills?" asked Hikari.

Tosuda looked momentarily taken aback, then answered:

"Yeah, normally. For me, they're for Ando-Akane arguments. I figure hearing yet _another_ lover's spat is way worse than fighting enemy ninja."

Hikari laughed, but Kegawa's stern gaze at Tosuda made the boy put away his kunai.

"Don't be so familiar, Tosuda," he reprimanded.

"Yes, Kegawa-sensei," Tosuda responded.

An hour later, the carriage stopped in front of Konoha's gates, and those inside were mercifully allowed out. Climbing up onto the side of the carriage, Tosuda, Ando and Akane began passing Hikari's luggage down from the roof, Hikari quickly joining Ando in hanging off of the side. Kegawa paid the carriage driver, then told his squad and Hikari to wait. He spied a lone blond boy wandering near the open gate, and called out:

"Come here!"

The boy looked a little confused, or perhaps nervous, but walked over to Kegawa and his squad anyway. He wore a white jacket over a green t-shirt and short pants, a satchel slung over his side. Hikari guessed he was a little younger than the members of Kegawa's squad, judging by his height and youthful face. He was holding a stack of books under one arm, and the satchel looked heavy.

"Kegawa-sensei?" the boy asked.

"Yuto," said Kegawa.

The boy frowned, looking down at the ground for a second before returning his gaze to the Inuzuka.

"I'm Minato, sir," he said.

"Sorry, Minato," said Kegawa. "I need you to run and tell Lord Hokage that Lady Hikari has arrived."

Minato's eyes flicked to Hikari, then down at her clothes. The stripes of red and yellow with intricate, ancient-looking patterns were clearly a surprise to him, as was Hikari's casual expression.

"Land of the Sun," Hikari explained.

"Near the Skybreaker Mountains!" said Minato, with the sudden excitement of somebody who knew a lot about something. "Are you wearing goatskin, or-"

"Minato, quiz her later," said Tosuda.

"Yeah," said Minato. "Sorry. Goodbye."

Hikari nodded slightly, and Minato dashed off.

"Smart kid," said Hikari.

"He's not the standard," said Kegawa. "Reads books like they're air."

"He'll probably be ordering us around someday," Tosuda added.

"Minato?" asked Akane. "He can't exactly fight."

"He can fight fine," said Ando.

"You've never seen him fight," said Akane, "don't be stupid."

" _You're_ the one who keeps not not being stupid!"

Their eternal battle began anew, and Ando and Akane once again became of no use to Kegawa beyond the most basic of duties.

"You three take Lady Hikari's luggage to the Hyuga compound," he said, gesturing to them and Tosuda. "Be careful with it. Tell the Hyuga to meet us there."

"We're not going to the Hyuga compound?" asked Hikari, her brow furrowing.

"No," said Kegawa. "You can meet the Hokage first. Damn nest of vipers…"

Kegawa's muttering did little to ease Hikari's nervousness, but she followed him into the village anyway. She noticed that it was mostly empty of people, civilian or ninja; she wondered if the streets had been cleared so as to avoid a scene when she showed up.

Her footsteps echoed through the vacant streets as she walked alongside the jonin. She felt an urge to hold his hand, but she tightened her hand into a fist, firmly rejecting the idea. Kegawa was fatherly, but he wasn't her father. Her parents were a long way away, and she'd already said her goodbyes to them.

 _Don't think about that_ , she thought.

She was led up a flight of stairs to a large, earth-coloured building, clearly worn down by age. From the foyer that she saw, she guessed that this was the main organisational building of the village. At first she had assumed that the giant stone faces carved into a mountain were the town's centre, but then she realised that that would be sort of tacky. Kegawa led her up more stairs, then through a warren-like series of tunnels, and finally to a great room.

Light streamed in through a wide window, but the comfortable-looking chair at the only desk had its back to a wall. There was a rack of weapons on the wall, and the floor was wooden planks.

Two men stood in front of the desk. The elder was a middle-aged man with a kindly face and brown hair, wearing a very large hat and long white robes. Another man, slightly younger, had long, black hair. He wore light purple robes, unadorned with decorations. His skin was pale and his eyes were almost white, with no pupils. Hikari had seen this before, when messengers had visited the Land of the Sun. It meant he was a Hyuga - and, probably, her new father-in-law.

Her future husband, however, was nowhere in sight.

"Welcome to Konoha, Lady Hikari," said the brown-haired man. "I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Was your trip comfortable?"

"Yes, thankyou, Lord Hokage," said Hikari, bowing. "Lord Higashi Hyuga?"

The black-haired man stared at her, his mouth thinning as he silently sized her up, but he said nothing back.

"Did you forget how to talk?" asked Kegawa.

"It would seem you will never face that danger," Higashi responded.

"This is your son's fiancée," said Kegawa.

Higashi did not respond. He cast a fast disapproving eye over Hikari, as if reluctant to admit her presence long enough to dislike her, and turned his head to the right.

"Hiashi," he said. "Hizashi, you may enter."

A pair of Hyuga boys entered through a door on the other side of the room. Hikari guessed that they were a little older than her; maybe sixteen. One wore a headband of brown leather, and one's forehead was bare, but apart from this they were exactly identical - the same face, the same height, the same shoulder-length blue-black hair, the same cautious expressions. Neither looked at Higashi, and the way their bodies turned away from him suggested a kind of innate fear.

Hikari took a deep breath. She had travelled a long way, and she needed to make a mark.

" _Twins_?" she said, a smirk growing on her face.

Within seconds, Hikari knew very well that she had made it count indeed. For the briefest of seconds, Higashi's expression changed from measured disdain to bewilderment. The Hokage seemed to sigh a little even as a smile played at the corner of his lips. Chancing a look at Kegawa, Hikari saw the jonin wipe his mouth and clear his throat twice to cover up his laughter.

Her sisters would've laughed.

When she was younger, her mother and father would've, too.

The last test, however, was the twins themselves. The one with the leather headband stood up as straight as he could, and remained noticeably calm and still. The one without a headband tilted his head a fraction, frowning a little as he stared at Hikari.

"I...am Hiashi," he said.

Hikari smiled broadly at him.

A few minutes later, Hikari walked behind the twin Hyuga boys, Higashi leading them through the village.

The meeting with her future husband had gone okay, considering the fact that her father-in-law seemed offended by her existence. Hiashi and Hizashi had been polite, but no amount of increasingly less subtle hints from the Hokage could get Higashi to actually speak to Hikari, so the conversation collapsed into silence over and over. At last, the Hokage suggested they leave, and the Hyuga clan leader took them out.

Leaving the village's centre, the children followed Higashi through the village. Every path and road was flanked by giant trees, fallen leaves scattering across walkways.

Behind the twins, Hikari watched as Hizashi nudged Hiashi. Hiashi looked over at his brother, and Hizashi then made a few quick movements with his hand. At first she thought Hizashi was performing a jutsu, but after nothing apparently happened, she realised he was saying something to Hiashi in a hand-signal code. Whatever he said, Hiashi didn't seem to approve of it, shaking his head. Trying again, Hizashi moved his hand around in a different way, and eventually Hiashi reluctantly spoke.

"Father?" he said.

Higashi waited a moment, then spoke.

"You may speak," he said.

"Would it not be worthwhile to permit Lady Hikari to consider the village's geographical layout before she enters our compound?" asked Hiashi.

Hikari was impressed; it took genuine talent to say that many elaborate words in one breath, and fairly formally as well. Higashi stopped walking and turned around to address his children.

"Why do you consider this necessary?" he asked.

Hizashi nodded a tiny bit at Hiashi, who said:

"I am of the opinion that the mother of future heirs to the clan should be aware of our village holdings as soon as possible, father."

' _Mother of future heirs'?_ thought Hikari.

"Surely your fiancée is tired from a long journey," said Higashi.

"No, Lord Higashi," said Hikari, bowing to him.

Higashi shifted his head a fraction, but otherwise did nothing to acknowledge Hikari, and she saw the twins wince slightly as he did so.

"We would be safe, father," said Hiashi. "We have a bodyguard."

Higashi glanced at Hizashi for a moment.

"So you do," he said.

With this, he left the children, and they stayed in place until he was basically out of sight.

"Alright," said Hizashi, "let's go."

Hikari and Hiashi followed him as he left the path they'd been taking for a dustier sideway, Hikari slightly behind the other two. She still wasn't quite sure if she could easily tell which twin was which, being that they were dressed more or less identically.

"So," said Hizashi, "welcome to Konoha. I'm guessing Kegawa Inuzuka's squad took you here?"

"Yeah," said Hikari, wary of his interest.

"He didn't have much to say about us, did he?" he asked.

They passed the giant statue with three enormous faces carved into it, which neither of the twins batted an eyelid at. Looking up, Hikari could see the distinct likeness of the current Hokage, as well as Konoha's two previous leaders.

"He called the Hyuga compound a nest of vipers," she said.

Hizashi laughed, while again Hiashi didn't so much as smile.

"That _is_ a decent one, Hiashi," said Hizashi.

The corners of Hiashi's mouth reluctantly curled upward, as if he was coaxing himself to laugh.

"Considering an Inuzuka said it, it is fairly witty," he said.

Giving up on his brother for the moment, Hizashi looked back to Hikari.

"That's the first thing you have to learn about Konoha, Hikari," said Hizashi. "None of the clans like each other. We're at war."

"We haven't been at war for years," said Hiashi dismissively.

"You know what I mean," said Hizashi.

"So you're fighting the Inuzuka?" asked Hikari.

"Actually, we're in multiple business partnerships with them," said Hizashi. "They're excellent shinobi – trackers, mostly – which means they can locate lost shipments with great ease."

"Marriage of convenience?" suggested Hikari.

Hizashi laughed.

"The only Inuzuka-Hyuga marriage that would ever happen," he said. "We hire them and they help us, but nobody in either clan likes one another."

"Not many Hyuga like each other either," Hiashi pointed out.

"No, Hiashi," said Hizashi, "they just don't like us."

They came to the end of a street, which opened up into a wider road.

"Any other clans I should watch out for?" Hikari asked.

"Uchiha," said Hiashi, staring forward.

"Yes," said Hizashi, "the Uchi-"

Now he saw it, and Hikari followed the twins' line of sight over to a group of teenage boys on the other side of the road, sitting on a rock.

"…ha," he finished.

The boys were wearing blue jackets with a red and white symbol on the back, their skin pale and hair jet-black. The older ones were smoking, lighting their cigarettes by performing some kind of fire jutsu. What seemed like the youngest looked up and pointed at the twins and Hikari, and there ensued a kind of staring contest-standoff across the way.

"Can't we leave?" Hikari whispered.

"No," said Hizashi, keeping eye contact, "they've seen us. Walk behind us and don't look scared."

Hikari swallowed.

"Easy enough," she said.

Shuffling behind the other two, Hikari followed the twins until they stopped a few metres away from the Uchiha. It was here that she noticed that the Uchiha's eyes all glowed a deep red. She recalled reading that there were several clans in Konoha with a dojutsu; perhaps this was the bloodline limit of the Uchiha.

One of the boys, tall and lithe with rolled-up sleeves and short hair, raised up his cigarette to the three as if he was toasting them with a wine cup.

"Hyuga," he said.

Hizashi gave a tiny nod of his head, like a miniscule bow.

"Uchiha," he said.

The boy took a casual drag of the cigarette, coughed and spluttered, seemed to consider taking another puff, then apparently thought better of it and held it away from himself, leaning back.

"I thought we told you to never come around here, Hiashi," said the boy to Hizashi.

"I'm Hizashi," said Hizashi, "he's Hiashi."

"And how am I meant to remember that?" asked the boy. "Or care?"

"Forehead," said Hizashi.

The boy looked around.

"Haruno's not here," he said.

Hizashi rolled his eyes.

"No, Uchiha, my forehead protector," he said. "Hiashi doesn't wear his."

"Fine, _Hizashi_ ," said the boy. "Not like you bother to remember our names."

"You're Izamu," said Hizashi.

He looked to the two other Uchiha. One was about the same age as Izamu, the other looked a little younger.

"You two are Katsu and Fugaku," he said.

Izamu chuckled as his fellow clan-members looked shocked.

"Wow, Hyuga," said Izamu, "you spend all night remembering that?"

"It's more of a drill from my handlers," he said. "I've been told 'stay away from Izamu and Katsu Uchiha' every day for the past month."

The boy that Hizashi had called Fugaku looked a little sullen, which Hizashi noticed.

"Don't worry, Fugaku," he said, "I'm sure you'll be well known as a troublemaker eventually."

Fugaku scowled, and muttered: "Shut up, Hyuga."

"No, Fugaku," said Izamu, poking him on the shoulder. "For some weird reason, _this_ Hyuga isn't so bad."

"Sorry," Fugaku said quietly.

Izamu slapped him on the head.

" **No** ," he said, "we don't apologise to a Hyuga, even if it is Hizashi. They'll get all high and mighty on us. Pay attention, man!"

Fugaku looked about ready to apologise again, but then caught himself and fell silent once more.

"You know you'll get in trouble if your dad finds out you're here," said Izamu.

"Assume he won't," said Hizashi.

"You live on assuming?" asked Izamu.

"Father follows certain behaviours consistently," Hiashi said.

Ignoring him, Izamu added:

"And if Jiro comes 'round…"

Hizashi shrugged, and sat on a rock beside the boys. Less confident, Hikari sat next to Hizashi, on the opposite side of him to the Uchiha, and Hiashi leaned on the rock, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Okay, whatever," said Izamu.

He gestured at Hikari with his cigarette.

"Who's she?" he asked.

"My brother's fiancée," Hizashi answered.

Izamu frowned.

"…Hiashi?" he said.

"I only have one brother, don't I?" asked Hizashi.

Izamu stared at Hiashi in disbelief.

" _You're_ marrying her?" he asked, incredulous.

"Correct," said Hiashi.

Izamu smirked. Looking back at the other Uchiha, he mouthed 'Correct' in an imitation of Hiashi, and they all chuckled. Hiashi tried to make no expression at all at this, but he didn't quite manage to hide his annoyance.

"Damn, son," said Izamu. "What the hell're kids doing now to get so lucky?

My parents haven't found me a girl."

"You can't get one on your own?" asked Hikari.

Izamu seemed a little taken aback at the question, but recovered fairly quickly.

"Ah, it'd just be easier if they did it for me," he said. "Plenty'a girls around, though."

"Maybe you're not lazy," said Hikari. "Maybe you just suck at dating."

"That so?" he asked. "You want a demonstration?"

The look in his eye and the timbre of his voice made the implications unmistakable. But Hiashi didn't seem fazed at all that Izamu had just flirted with his fiancée, and Hizashi wasn't looking surprised at what had just happened. What's more, Izamu was looking at her expectantly. He genuinely thought he might have gotten a 'yes' from her.

 _Is Hiashi that spineless that everyone knows he won't even care?_ she thought.

"Don't think so," she eventually said. "You know, I just got here. I'd rather not catch anything _immediately_."

Katsu and Fugaku broke into laughter and Hizashi chuckled a little, while Hiashi just rolled his eyes as Izamu tried to protest.

"Hey, shut up!" he said. "Come on, I got training."

Getting up and patting down his pockets to make sure he had everything, the teens all suddenly fell silent.

A tall, broad-shouldered boy stood before them. His skin was as pale as the other Uchiha, and his extremely short hair was the same colour of black as theirs, but he was far more powerfully built. He glared down at Izamu, who shrunk back nervously.

"What the hell are you doing with Hyuga?" the boy asked.

"Uh…" said Izamu, "um…ah…hi, Jiro-"

Jiro backhanded him, knocking his cigarette out of his mouth and sending him staggering backwards.

"I leave you five minutes and you're having a slumber party with the Hyuga head's sons and some other whore?"

Hikari slid off the rock with her fists at the ready. She'd taken enough insults from Higashi, and she wasn't about to let anyone else talk like that without some kind of punishment. But she felt herself pulled back as Hizashi and Hiashi quickly grabbed her arms, and she could only watch as Jiro gestured at Fugaku.

"And you took Masaru's brother with you?" he said.

The other boy, Katsu, raised his hands in protest.

"C-come on, Jiro, he got engaged-"

"What're you putting in those cigarettes, Katsu?" Jiro thundered. "You guys brought Fugaku. If Fugaku tells Masaru, Masaru tells Kiyoshi, Kiyoshi tells Lord Noboru, and then all of us get blamed for it."

"I'm not gonna tell him," Fugaku said, louder than he had been before.

Katsu and Izamu looked pained at this outburst. Jiro was clearly someone with whom you didn't speak out of turn. This time, however, he didn't hit Fugaku, simply pointing at him harshly.

"You'd better not," he said, "or you're gonna find out why Lord Noboru sends me to fix things."

Fugaku gulped, and Jiro remained there for a while, staring at him. Eventually, he turned away, and everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, you're sure gonna prove how tough you are by beating up a twelve year old," Hikari called out after him.

The boys around her all winced as Jiro turned around.

"What?" he said.

"I think you heard," said Hikari, keeping her chin high. "Jiro, is it?"

"Yeah," said Jiro, stepping back towards her. "And I got no idea who you are, but-"

There was a great flash of light from beside Hikari, and then there were three strikes at Jiro from Hizashi's hand, so quick that they all blurred into one. For a moment, they seemed to do nothing, and Jiro turned his head to deal with Hizashi. He began to raise a hand, but suddenly he stumbled, and slowly he fell to the dusty ground, like a great felled tree.

Hizashi looked down at Jiro, then up at everyone else. For a long moment, everyone just stared at him.

"… _run_!" he shouted, and everyone followed the command, racing away from the collapsed Jiro, passing by buildings and stalls.

"What happened to that guy?" asked Hikari as they flew past what she thought was a ramen bar.

"Gentle Fist," Hizashi said.

Hikari dodged a messenger, who was going at an equally fast speed but in the opposite direction, then asked:

"What?"

"It's our clan jutsu," said Hizashi. "It paralyses the chakra field in part of the body through touch."

Skidding to a stop, the six ninja found themselves in a crossroads, and all gathered around in a vague circle.

"Will Jiro be okay?" asked Katsu.

"I hit him pretty hard, but he should be up in a little while," said Hizashi. "In other words, be careful."

Izamu gasped for breath before he spoke.

"We won't tell anybody if you don't," he said.

"Fine," said Hizashi.

Sharing sharp nods, the Uchiha went down one path, and Hizashi led his brother and Hikari down the opposite way. Both brothers watched carefully through their Byakugan, but after a few minutes, each deactivated the dojutsu, and walked along more quietly. Still walking behind them, Hikari watched the twins, musing on what they were like.

She decided that if Hizashi was so eager to get away from his father, Higashi was probably fairly strict. Probably, neither could be themselves unless they were out of his earshot. She could even see it now: Hizashi was walking with a fair more confident stride than Hiashi, who stood quite straight but seemed stiff in his movements. She knew well enough that if you wanted to know people, you had to see what they were like when their parents weren't around.

"You know," she said, after a few minutes of silence, "you guys all didn't exactly act like enemies back there. Until Jiro showed up, anyway."

"Maybe," said Hizashi. "Maybe we'll all end up best friends and make mochi together."

 _Already dropped the formalities_ , thought Hikari. _How come I'm not marrying him_?

"Fine, whatever," said Hikari.

"It is as Izamu said," said Hiashi. "People from other clans and commoners seem to be most fond of Hizashi. The rest of the clan attracts a somewhat cooler reception."

"Huh," said Hikari.

Thinking further, she added, to Hiashi:

"He is pretty quick on defence."

"Oh?" asked Hiashi.

"Yeah," said Hikari. "He jumped in to save me really fast. Faster than anybody else I've ever seen."

Hiashi said nothing, but nodded politely, and Hikari forced herself not to curse in frustration. This guy was something else, all right.

 _I'm gonna have to be even_ _ **more**_ _obvious_.

She put a hand to her forehead.

"You know that Uchiha guy was flirting with me, right?" she asked.

"Izamu? Yes," Hiashi said.

"Well…" said Hikari. "Do you care?"

Hiashi took a suspiciously long time to think this through, and when he finally answered, it sounded as if he'd been practicing saying it for a while.

"I don't know what you expected when this marriage was arranged, but I can assure you that provided you are not impregnated, I am ambivalent to your personal interests," he said.

Hikari stopped walking, frozen in her tracks by her sheer astonishment at what Hiashi had just said.

"'Provided I'm not impregnated?'!" she asked. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

Hiashi stopped and looked back at her.

"If you are impregnated, unwanted children will result," he said. "This would be embarrassing for the clan and you. If you avoid pregnancy, however, your liaisons are your affairs."

Leaving Hikari with her mouth open in shock, he added as he started walking again:

"This is ordinary for a politically expedient arranged marriage."

"Really?" she said, going after the twins. "Hizashi, are you married?

Hizashi scratched at his arm, apparently reluctant to join the conversation.

"...yes," he eventually replied.

"And would you be fine if your wife went off with some random guy?" asked Hikari.

"No," said Hizashi.

She looked back at Hiashi with a questioning face, but he shook his head.

"Hizashi's marriage is different," he said.

"Different?!" asked Hikari. "Different how?"

Hiashi sighed.

"You are…"

He swallowed, and looked at the ground as he finished speaking.

"…you are too young," he said.

Hikari stared at him. He briefly held her gaze, but then looked away and kept walking.

"Too young?" she said, running to catch up with him. " _What?!_ I mean, you're _how_ old?"

"Sixteen," he said, not looking at her.

"Oh, wow, sixteen," said Hikari. "You're so _ancient_ compared to me. Maybe you'll die of old age and leave me as a grieving widow."

"I don't expect you to understand," said Hiashi.

"I usually don't understand things that make no sense," said Hikari. "You were fine with what Izamu said to me, and how old's he?"

"Seventeen," said Hiashi. "But that is his business."

They kept walking, across busy roads and quiet streets, as Hikari fumed at her situation. She was sure that she'd already met the most idiotic people alive back home, but Hiashi Hyuga had surpassed all previous records in the space of barely an hour.

"You don't care about me, do you?" she finally said.

"I never said that," said Hiashi. "I merely said you may-"

"I know what you 'merely said'," said Hikari.

"Evidently you don't, or you wouldn't be arguing with me," Hiashi said, not looking back.

She suddenly realised how cold it was here, and shivered a little bit. Behind her, Hizashi spoke.

"It'll be warmer in the compound," he said.

"Great," said Hikari.

They kept walking. Hikari kept behind, but Hizashi went alongside his brother. Although Hikari didn't know their sign-language, she got a sense of what Hizashi was telling his brother by the way he looked at him. Hiashi responded in sign language this time, until Hizashi finally gave up and sighed.

"You baffle me sometimes, Hiashi," he said.

Hikari folded her arms, staring at the ground.

"And I'm gonna have kids with _you_?" she asked.

Hiashi said nothing.

00000


	2. Chapter Two

Hey again! Here is Chapter Two.

000000

 _Chapter Two_

 **Thirteen Years Before The Nine-Tailed Fox Attack**

Hikari folded her arms across her chest, feeling cold despite her many layers of clothing. Her robes were bright red with yellow patterns across the arms, closed up with a neat black belt and ending at her knees. Hikari's parents had bought them for her as a going-away present. They'd asked her to wear them so she'd remember where she came from.

The Hyuga compound was not a place that made forgetting home easy.

There were ceremonies to receive her, of course. She had been formally introduced to the entire clan at the front of the dining hall on her first night in Konoha. She tried to stay calm and polite amongst the rise of whispers and muttered concerns that filled the crowd of watching Hyuga, every pair of pupilless eyes staring.

Later, Hiashi had formally presented her to his parents over the course of three hours, although both he and Hikari were forced to bow so low, she barely even saw either of their faces. To Hiashi's credit, he at least _looked_ sorry after the whole pointless ordeal was over, and he'd led her to a well-furnished room immediately afterwards.

"You can rest here," he had said, standing up ramrod-straight in the doorframe. "I will ask Branch House members to bring your luggage."

"...I'm not in your room?" asked Hikari.

"You don't want to be," said Hiashi, and he had turned and left before Hikari could respond.

She had not seen Hiashi since that day.

So, she was alone here. That was good and bad, all at once. Nobody really bothered Hikari in that room, and apart from frequent whispers from the Hyuga who saw her, she was allowed to wander the courtyards and pathways of the compound completely freely. Apparently nobody expected her to do anything, except attend meals.

That, strangely, was the hard part. Hyuga evidently took breakfast and dinner very seriously (although, from what Hikari could tell, they took _everything_ very seriously), and skipping either was considered a massive faux-pas. The dining hall was always filled with every Main House Hyuga, and there was a constant low murmuring between all of them. Below the normal level of conversation, Hyuga leant over to mutter into ears and talk with their hands - flicking sleeves, waving and opening fans, and tilting their head this way and that. Glances were constantly shot between tables, and every elegant gesture seemed to mean something.

Tonight, as usual, Hikari sat at a small table in a far corner of the hall, with only four chairs. She guessed that this was supposed to be some kind of minor exile, since there was no possible way to talk to the other tables without shouting to them, but the other people sitting there clearly didn't mind.

Across from Hikari was Hizashi. Even though Hiashi clearly deferred to his twin brother in most situations, Hizashi was slightly younger - roughly a minute, as it turned out. He had been given a Branch House Seal for being second-born, for he would supposedly be a threat to Hiashi's position as clan heir otherwise. Hizashi had a dry wit and a friendly disposition, which helped cover up the fact that he regularly insulted Main House Hyuga to their faces. He often helped other Branch House members with problems, even though he was a chunin-level ninja who frequently went on missions.

The girl that sat next to Hizashi was named Izumi, and she was his wife. They had known each other casually for a long time, but had only married two years ago, a few months after properly meeting during their chunin exams. She was a chunin as well, so the two of them often went out on missions together. Izumi covered her Branch House mark with a Konoha headband set at a slight angle, and was always happy to answer Hikari's questions about the village or the clan. The fourth chair at the table was unattended for now; not uncommon, given its regular occupant.

At the front of the hall, with the largest table, sat eight people. In the middle were Higashi and Himiko, the clan leaders. Higashi looked sternly out at his subjects, his eyes as humourless as the day Hikari had met him. Himiko had her head tilted, and she swirled her sake around in its cup. Hikari didn't know the six people surrounding the couple, but she guessed from their fine clothes that they were important.

 _I'll be up there someday_ , she thought.

Imagining all those faces watching her (and the fact that she'd be alongside Hiashi) made Hikari feel worse, and she poked mournfully at the rice in her bowl.

"Have the sea cucumber," said Izumi, "it's good."

"...I'm okay," said Hikari, picking up a mouthful of rice and chewing on it.

Honestly, Hikari didn't like much of anything the Hyuga served. She missed eating goat, and potato dumplings, and buckwheat noodles. Everything in the Hyuga compound was fish, often colourful but bland, and she often felt so bad eating it that she didn't care about going to bed hungry.

The rice was good, though. It was a little thicker than back home, but it stuck together nicely. She guessed that the Land of Fire got more rain than back home, what with the seemingly endless trees, and it would fill her up until she could find something else.

"Where's Hiashi?" asked Izumi.

Hizashi looked to Hikari.

"I still haven't seen him," she said, glancing at the empty seat beside her.

"Idiot," muttered Hizashi. "They'll probably find him soon, and being this late means-"

The room was filled with the noise of drums being struck, and the voices of the diners fell as close to silence as Hyuga could manage. Hikari sat up in her chair, looking around for the drum itself, until she realised that a Hyuga up close to the front of the hall had his hands together in a chakra-producing sign.

"Nice prophesy," Izumi told Hizashi. "Can you read my palm?"

Hizashi held his wife's hand up gently, and moved fingers over it.

"' _Izumi...is...cute...'_ " he 'read', prompting Izumi to playfully smack his arm.

The Hyuga who had made the drum sound stepped away, and a tall, severe-looking Hyuga in grey robes took his place, in front of the clan leaders.

"Denouncement," he said.

With this, Hiashi walked into the room, his face calm and assured. Hikari tried to glare at him, but he was too far away, and she doubted it would change his expression at all anyway. Standing there calmly, Hiashi spoke to the entire hall, his voice just loud enough to hear, with the casual tone of someone who had done this so many times that it was second nature.

"I spent this morning practicing my calligraphy," he said, his voice echoing through the room. "I wrote of a clan, with a large amount of its members subservient to a small elite. Naturally, all theoretical."

Watching Hizashi through her peripheral vision, Hikari saw her fiancé's twin brother break into a small, quiet smile.

"I apologise for pointing out the obvious weaknesses in this system," continued Hiashi, "such as the fact that ongoing resentment by the servants could cause rebellion or inefficiency, or that being constantly supported by others breeds weakness. Next time, I will write poetry about hydrangeas, or whatever my instructor feels is best for conveying the insubstantiality of life that day."

As Hiashi began to walk away, the speaker from before stopped him. There followed a brief, heated discussion, and Hiashi stepped back to where he was before.

"I apologise for publically discussing my calligraphy instructor's obsession with hydrangeas," he said.

Once again, he went to leave, and the speaker blocked him.

Though they weren't facing her anymore, Hikari could see Hizashi trying hard not to laugh, and Izumi was grinning. None of the Branch House Hyuga out in the hall were actively watching Hiashi, but one boy left the room very quickly, and an older Branch woman was clearly concentrating hard on keeping her expression professional.

"I apologise for repeatedly implying that my calligraphy instructor has an obsession with hydrangeas," Hiashi said.

The speaker shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead at this, which Hiashi took as his chance to leave. Walking around the back of the hall as the assorted Hyuga started talking again, Hiashi reached the corner table and finally sat down next to Hikari.

"Good evening," he said, in a tone that skirted the borders of actual cheeriness, as he put rice in his bowl.

He looked down at the sea cucumber disappointedly.

"Hm," he said, nudging it away in favour of a plum.

Hikari watched him as he ate, taking a rare chance to size him up. She guessed by the dark looks of the Main House Hyuga that Hiashi was something of a pariah, but that didn't explain why he was acting so coldly to her. She didn't think much of nobles, no matter where they were from, and servants were better people to begin with. They worked harder, and they had much better stories. Hikari had snuck away from enough official visits back in her palace to know that. If Hiashi had shown literally any interest in her life, he'd have worked that out pretty quickly, and there'd be no need for this isolation.

 _I'm meant to be taken care of_ , Hikari thought, too indignant to focus on the Branch House members anymore.

"Where were you, Hiashi?" Hizashi asked.

Hiashi swallowed.

"Before?" he said. "Training. Thankyou for the book, Izumi."

With great reluctance, Izumi nodded, clearly seeing where the conversation was headed.

"I mean, where were you for the past three weeks, not with Hikari?" asked Hizashi.

"She doesn't like me," said Hiashi casually.

Hizashi processed this by himself for a moment, then looked to Hikari to check with her. Watching her roll her eyes, Hizashi's eyes thinned as he looked back at his brother, the wheels in his mind ticking over.

"You are _not_ this stupid," he said.

"Avoiding people who dislike me is stupidity?" asked Hiashi, not looking up from his food.

"You-" Hizashi began, but Hikari cut him off.

"It's fine," she said.

She looked at the boy beside her, still ignoring her and everyone.

"You don't get it," she said. "You like being alone."

Hiashi paused for a second, then went on chewing rice. After swallowing, he spoke again.

"Hikari, you have the option to leave," he said, quietly. "I strongly suggest you take it."

It took Hikari a few seconds to realise just what that meant.

For all his clear distaste and distance from his fellow Main House members, Hiashi was as much a Hyuga as the rest of them.

"...really?" she said, quietly.

At last, Hiashi looked at her, but he obviously didn't understand.

Too tired to stay there any longer, Hikari put her bowl down and left the table, despite concerned looks from Hizashi and Izumi, and a sudden rise of muttering from the rest of the hall. Hikari left through the side doors, closing them quietly, and stalked off into the night.

The well-manicured lawns and gentle canals of the compound greeted her. The buildings surrounding the dining hall were squarish and grey, their tiled rooves black, and a few birds flew from one as Hikari approached them. It was a cloudy night above, so there were no stars to see by.

Hikari tried to shove her hands in her pockets, but her robes had none; obviously the most recent effort by her parents to break that habit. Giving off the kind of growl that nine out of ten matchmakers would consider 'unladylike', Hikari walked down the path towards her room. She knew she would hear people talking about this tomorrow, if not earlier, although nobody would confront her directly. Actually interacting with other Hyuga was basically impossible; every time she'd tried to approach a group, they would laugh or smirk and move away.

Halfway to her room, she stopped walking and leaned on a stone post, half-sitting there, her arms folded.

She stayed there for a long time, even as another bell rang and the dining hall opened up, its inhabitants splitting off into small groups. Hikari could see them looking at her, but none approached, save for one lone figure.

"You're right," she said quietly, as Hiashi approached. "I shouldn't be here."

"I didn't mean that because-" Hiashi began.

"Because what?" Hikari interrupted. "Everyone here acts like they can't understand me at all, and you told me to go back where I came from, and you're _not_ -..."

She gave a loud cough that she refused to recognise as a sob.

"Hikari, _nobody_ should be here," said Hiashi.

Hikari looked at him cautiously. At last, he sounded sincere, but Hyuga seemed to be good at concealing.

"I hoped that if I left you alone, you would realise that," said Hiashi. "You don't deserve this clan."

He looked out at the Main House Hyuga in the distance, and his eyes narrowed.

"Nobody does."

"Not an option," said Hikari, still leaning on the post. "They don't want me back home either."

"Why?" asked Hiashi.

He looked concerned.

"Is your family..."

"Oh, they're fine," said Hikari. "They love me, and all. Baby sister Hikari, running around, never quiet."

Hikari looked down.

"But I got older," she said. "I didn't exactly grow into what they wanted. I'm not the sweet little wife a lord can marry. And I got so famous for it, they had to find a complete _foreigner_ to-..."

She cut herself off, looking regretful.

Hiashi tilted his head, shrugging.

"I'm sorry," Hikari said, looking around. "I'm the foreigner here."

"No," said Hiashi. "The Land of Fire is exceptionally distant from the Land of the Sun. This must seem like ends of the Earth to you."

Hiashi looked up, thoughtfully, but there were still no stars to be seen. Sighing, he took a step back and leaned on a wall next to Hikari.

"...you're leaning," she said.

"Observant," noted Hiashi sarcastically.

"Yeah, but it's you," said Hikari. "You're usually up straight, perfectly in step, never miss anything. Even before in the dining hall, you spoke right."

"Nobody can see me here," said Hiashi.

"So I'm nobody?" asked Hikari.

"Nobody who'll hurt me for it," said Hiashi.

He looked at Hikari's folded arms.

"Are you cold?" he said.

"Average winter temperature back home is minus two degrees in the daytime," said Hikari. "I can handle your lukewarm Konoha weather, trust me."

"I will, then," said Hiashi, mild hints of a smile forming.

He looked at Hikari, thinking.

"Did they make you have 'interviews' with your potential partner?" he asked.

"...yeah," said Hikari. "Well, him or a representative. That happened to you?"

"Hyuga are incapable of doing anything without at least five ceremonies," said Hiashi.

Hikari laughed.

"Since I'm here," she said, "how'd you get out of them?"

"Various methods," said Hiashi. "There are four families in the clan that I'm not related to. The first one I avoided by just repeating everything she said in a whiny voice."

"What, were you eight?" asked Hikari.

"Ten," said Hiashi. "Besides, it worked."

He brushed some dust from his sleeve, and continued:

"My second option fairly obviously hated me, so she was easy to convince. The third was considerably more tenacious - she and her parents were clearly intent on social-climbing - but I discouraged them by speaking only in the third person and strategically placing wet leaves in my hair, then acting confused if anybody brought this up."

"Nice," said Hikari, and she meant it.

She stretched her arms up and out.

"Most princes or the people they sent turned me down on reputation," she said, putting them back down. "But this one guy was obviously _really_ desperate to get his lord's kid a wife, so I started swallowing Go pieces. After that, and once I started licking the board, he ran out of the room shouting I was possessed."

Hiashi laughed a little.

 _He didn't mention the fourth wife_ , thought Hikari.

"It could rain soon," Hiashi said, looking up at the clouds. "We should go inside."

"Right," said Hikari, a little deflated.

Together, they began to walk back towards Hikari's room, Hiashi neatly steering them away from groups of Hyuga, and passing by Branch House members with a nod.

 _He took some convincing, but he's okay_ , Hikari thought, glancing at Hiashi when he wasn't looking. _He's not a terrible person, when he's not talking about how terrible a person he is._

Strange as it was, she felt sort of disappointed that she was going back to her room so quickly.

 _I can always talk to him again_ , _though,_ she thought. _Maybe I'll find him while he's training..._

"...damn," said Hiashi, quietly yet intently, slowing down as they came close to a low building.

The lamps outside were lit, and there were voices coming from behind a large sliding paper door.

"What?" asked Hikari.

"This door ahead," Hiashi said in a low voice. "Walk quickly and quietly."

Hikari nodded, and the two of them began to rush as silently as they could, taking great strides to pass the door.

As they took the final step, however, a voice from behind the door called out.

"Hiashi."

It was a woman's voice, stern and direct.

Looking worried, Hiashi replied:

"Yes, mother?"

"Come here," the voice said.

Hiashi reluctantly began to move to open the door, then nodded at Hikari to leave.

As she stepped forward, however, Hiashi's mother added:

"Bring her."

Hikari stopped and looked back to Hiashi, who gave her an apologetic look. Looking over her robes to make sure they were clean, Hikari walked back to Hiashi, and together, they slid open the door.

Three adult Hyuga were kneeling together on one side of a small room. Its floor was rush matting, and its walls were white paper. A jug of sake and three cups sat next to them, and the light that shone through the jug revealed that most of its contents had already been drunk.

One man wore a purple kimono with green highlights, his face youthful and high-bred, yet marred by drunkenness. Hikari got the feeling that there wasn't much going on behind his bemused expression. The other man was a little older, with a stern face that reminded Hikari of a hawk.

They sat on either side of Himiko Hyuga, who regarded Hiashi and Hikari with a haughty yet slightly amused expression. Hikari had seen all three of them at dinner, and they had all been wearing different clothing then. She wondered when exactly they'd had time to change - or drink that much.

"Hikari," said Hiashi, gesturing slightly to the three adults. "My mother, Lady Himiko. Lord Hiyoke and Lord Hisao."

Hikari bowed deeply alongside Hiashi.

Hiyoke, the younger Hyuga, watched the two of them carefully as they knelt down in front of the adults.

"You were late to dinner again, Hiashi," Hiyoke said, leaning off to the side as he sat.

"I was training, Lord Hiyoke," Hiashi said.

"For what?" asked Hiyoke, baffled.

"My son is fond of taijutsu," Himiko explained.

"What's the use?" said Hisao, the hawk-like Hyuga. "We're not at war. And you won't be fighting, even if we enter one."

Hikari remained still, but she glanced to her right, and saw Hiashi's jaw grind a little.

"Why not enjoy yourself, Hiashi?" asked Hiyoke, regarding the boy with an amused expression.

"He has always fought," said Himiko. "Like a real ninja. He wanted to go to the Academy."

"The _Village_ Academy?" said Hiyoke.

He chuckled at the absurdity of the idea, and took a healthy swig from his sake cup.

Once again, Hiashi did not move.

"I hear there are children in the village who do battle in the street," said Hisao, swilling his own sake cup around. "Their armies split between our retainers and those of the Uchiha."

"Really?" said Himiko. "Children _are_ ingenious within their limits."

Steepling her fingers, she looked to Hikari, who did not return her gaze.

"Do you know about these 'battles', Hikari?" she said.

"No, Lady Himiko," said Hikari.

"I'm sorry," said Himiko. "You are... _new_. Of course you wouldn't."

Hikari looked down, trying not to react.

Hearing footsteps and the sliding of the door, Hikari turned to see a Branch House girl come in, bearing another jar of sake with slightly trembling hands. Hikari tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, but the girl did not look up at her, or indeed anyone.

"Are there dances in your country, Hikari?" asked Hiyoke, as the Branch House girl poured more sake into new cups.

"No," said Hikari immediately, her voice a little louder than she'd intended.

Hisao gave a smirking chuckle.

"Stubborn," he said. "She'll fit you well, Hiashi."

He held out a hand without looking at the Branch girl, who cautiously handed him a drink, then stepped backwards, kneeling.

After a long sip, Hisao scowled.

"This is tepid," he told the girl, his voice growing irritated.

"...it was lying out while I-" she began.

She was drowned out by the sound of Hisao throwing his sake cup to the floor, and then a sudden shriek as the girl cried out in pain.

Despite herself, Hikari gasped as the girl collapsed from her kneel, whimpering, while Hisao held his hand out in a sign, activating her seal. Hikari could see why Hizashi and Izumi always referred to it as a _curse_ mark - the girl's agony seemed to preclude even screaming.

"The correct answer is 'I am sorry, sir'," said Hisao, his fingers twisted as the girl tried to keep her composure.

Hikari looked to Hiashi, who was still looking down, his eyes full of malice.

A second later, he looked up at Hisao, and his face was the perfect Hyuga expression, calm and arrogant.

Hikari didn't want to know how he'd learned to keep himself in that much control.

"Lord Hisao, she works in my part of the compound," he said, speaking over the girl's sobbing. "She is an excellent servant. I would rather not lose her."

"Oh," said Hisao, flicking his hand to end control of the seal. "Forgive me, Hiashi."

"You've spilled sake on my robes as well," said Hiashi, gesturing down at the cup's splashed contents. "Do _think_ , Hisao, if possible."

Hisao stiffened, shutting his eyes, and Hiyoke tittered inanely.

"Wait outside," said Hiashi to the Branch House girl, who had returned to her kneeling.

She nodded shortly, and quickly bowed to everyone before leaving. Hikari could see her crying as she slid the door shut from the outside.

"I should change clothes," he said, getting up from the floor. "Accompany me, Hikari."

"...as you wish," said Hikari, standing alongside him.

"Oh," said Himiko, sounding pleased. "I heard you weren't in Hiashi's room, Hikari."

Hisao coughed, and Hikari fought an urge to throw something at him.

"It's good to see you're adjusting to matters, Hiashi," Himiko continued. "After the other concern."

For the first time since she'd met him, Hikari saw Hiashi looked genuinely surprised, and perhaps hurt. A second later, however, he was calm again, and when he spoke, his voice was only just on the edge of anger.

"...if you _ever_ speak of that again," he said, " _Lady_ Himiko, I may suddenly cease to care about hiding any number of facts from interested parties. Or about _not_ setting anything that displeases me on fire."

The room was so still, even Hiyoke stopped drinking.

"If you're taking that one, we'll need another Branch House member to clean up her error," said Himiko.

She trailed a finger around her drink.

"Will you act as overseer again, Hiashi?" she said.

Hiashi did not respond, but his eyes narrowed.

 _That's enough,_ decided Hikari. _If I'm an outsider anyway, I'm gonna be one they remember._

"Lady Himiko," Hikari said. "Do you care for your children?"

Hisao scowled at her.

"How dare-" he began.

Himiko raised a hand, and Hisao fell silent, his glare at Hikari swiftly gone.

"Of course," said Himiko.

"Then you should try showing it a little more," said Hikari. "Because from what I can tell, they're the only worthwhile thing you've ever done."

Himiko pursed her lips.

"A foreigner wouldn't know manners," she said.

Glancing at the Hyuga men and deciding not to stay any longer, Hikari grabbed Hiashi's hand and all but pulled him out of the room, sliding shut the door quite loudly behind them as they walked outside.

"Come on," she said to the Branch House girl.

The girl nodded shortly, and walked quickly after them. Hikari looked to Hiashi, uncertain of the way, and he guided them through the night until they came to a quiet spot by an ornamental pond. The three of them were alone, unless you counted brightly-coloured carp.

The clouds separated for a moment, and the crescent moon came out, its reflection lighting up the pool. Hikari felt the warmth of Hiashi's hand on hers, and wondered if she should let go.

 _Later_ , she thought.

"We should be safe here," Hiashi said.

He looked to the girl.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

"No, sir," said the girl.

"What's your name?" Hiashi asked.

"Kikue, sir," the girl said.

"Kikue," said Hiashi, "I need you and six other Branch House members of a similar age to bring four kilograms of chocolate to my room, in ten minutes."

"Yes...sir," said Kikue, her face puzzled. "Thankyou, sir."

She turned sharply and walked off into the darkness.

"What's that for?" asked Hikari.

"You'll find out," said Hiashi.

He took a step down the path, and found Hikari wasn't moving. Looking down at their hands, both of them quickly let go.

"Uh...my room's the other way," said Hikari.

"I can't leave you alone here," said Hiashi. "We're the same."

Thinking about it, he added:

"...no. You're better."

"You think I could've thought up a way to save Kikue that fast?" asked Hikari. "You were perfect."

"No, how you spoke to my mother was perfect," said Hiashi.

"I might pay for it later," said Hikari.

"We all pay, at some point," said Hiashi.

He gestured to the path, and together, they began to walk to his room.

"Your mom, and Hisao and Hiyoke," said Hiashi. "Are the three of them-..."

She pushed her hands together suggestively.

Hiashi rolled his eyes and gave a short huff of irritation.

"Quite possibly," he said. "I don't know about the rest of the village, but infidelity is rampant in this clan. My father holds an unusually high amount of... _discussions_ with different women. And Hisao and Hiyoke are the only 'pure' Hyuga my mother isn't related to."

"'Pure'?" asked Hikari.

"You have probably heard people here talk about being 'Children of the Lotus'," said Hiashi.

Hikari nodded.

"It is _meant_ to describe one who sees the way to enlightenment," said Hiashi. "Our ability to see chakra with our Byakugan is a gift we should use to aid humanity. Some...well, realistically, _most_ Hyuga believe it makes us superior."

"And there's 'pure' and 'impure'?" asked Hikari.

"That is the theory," said Hiashi. "When the clan started, there were twenty five families. Early on, we married outsiders. The Byakugan gene is dominant, so it inevitably passed to our children. But then, as the Wandering Age grew more violent, we became...insular. Paranoid."

They turned a corner, past a group of Main House men and women laughing and drinking, and Hiashi shook his head.

"We lost families to war, or sickness, or simply by marriage," he said. "When there were too many male or female children in a generation, Main House members paired with Branch members. Officially, the Branch Hyuga were 'concubines'; the clan would never let them truly marry a Main House member. From what I can tell, sometimes there was genuine love. Usually, it was convenience, or coercion. Most adult Hyuga, including my father, are the children of such pairings. Those that are wholly Main House in ancestry call themselves 'pure'."

"Nobles think like that everywhere," said Hikari. "But...why the curse marks?"

"I don't know how they started," said Hiashi. "From all accounts, the arrangement is ancient. But the benefits of a servile class that cannot rebel without dying are obvious. A coward would call the idea genius."

"Can you get rid of the seal?" asked Hikari.

Hiashi nodded.

"They can be removed," he said. "But the Branch House curse mark is exceptionally complicated. It impacts the entire nervous system of the victim. An ordinary human would not have enough chakra control to correctly remove it, and tampering with it causes death."

Hiashi fell silent as he and Hikari approached the door to his room, where a small group of Branch House members carrying chocolate waited, with Kikue in the front. All were in their early teens, and quickly stopped whispering amongst themselves as Hiashi and Hikari got close enough.

"We brought you your chocolate, Lord Hiashi, sir," said Kikue.

"Thankyou," said Hiashi.

He held out a hand to Kikue, who gave him the pieces she was holding. Putting most of them in the crook of one arm, Hiashi picked up a single bar with his free hand and looked it over with a keen eye. With this, he put the bar in his pocket, then handed the rest of the chocolate back to Kikue.

"...I've decided I don't want the rest of it," said Hiashi. "Get rid of it."

"Yes...sir?" said Kikue, sounding confused.

Hiashi looked to each of the Branch members.

"I need _all of you_ to get rid of it," he said.

Kikue's eyes widened as she understood.

"...yes, sir!" she said.

"Make sure you keep it hidden," said Hiashi quietly, as the children started hiding the chocolate in their robes and pockets.

"Thank you, sir," said Kikue, smiling.

"No," said Hiashi. "This is poor compensation for what all of you do."

Kikue opened her mouth to speak, then shut it and walked away.

"I-" Hiashi began, but Kikue turned around, walking back to the two of them.

"Lord Hiashi...we don't have much fun as it is," she said, looking up at him. "Don't be a downer, sir."

Taken aback, Hiashi was silent.

"Thankyou, Kikue," said Hikari. "I'll see what I can do."

Kikue smirked a little.

"Sure, Lady Hikari," she said, and she left.

Hikari glanced at Hiashi, and found that he was still looking rather surprised.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have said that when I'm pretty obviously going into a guy's room with him_ , she thought. _What if Branch Housers spread rumours like Main Housers do?_

"So...do you do that a lot?" Hikari asked.

"Where I can," Hiashi said. "Anyway, come in."

He slid open his door, and nodded for Hikari to step in.

Hikari shielded her eyes as Hiashi turned on the light switch, then slowly moved her hand away, looking around the room. It was already bigger than her room at the compound, but the fact that it was so clean made it look enormous. Most of the floor was clear, save for a futon mattress to one side of the room. Books were neatly stacked on tables, all with some kind of bookmark inside of them, and there was a small sink and kitchen, as well as a door that led to a bathroom.

A single poster hang up on a wall, opposite to the futon. It was an expansive painting of a range of mountains, all white and blue, with a wide vertical split running through the middle, and a bright valley below.

"The Skybreakers!" she said.

Hiashi nodded as he put the chocolate bar down on a table, but Hikari didn't see him as she crossed the room, her eyes too busy tracing over the poster.

The Skybreaker Mountains were the most famous part of the Land of the Sun. Far to the west of Konoha, they were the highest mountain range in the known world, and given their great height and dangerous reputation, they were so hard to pass over that most considered them the end of the known world as well. There was a single, jagged path that cut its way through the rock and snow to the lands beyond, but it was crossed only by the reckless, the avaricious or the desperate. Those few that braved the pass brought back wild tales of strange lands: people who spent their whole lives on horseback, or wore white robes in cities of brightly-painted marble, or who drank wine made from honey in halls of gold.

"I read about them when they told me I was marrying you," Hiashi said. "Is it true people live on them?"

"A few tribes," Hikari said. "I used to sneak out and watch them as the sun set, bringing in their flocks. I could just see their lanterns moving across the rock and snow. The sound of their songs echoed in the air, all the way across to the palace, so I could hear everything. And the shadow of the mountains split the whole world in half."

She reached out and touched the poster.

"The Land of Fire's beautiful, though," she said, looking back to Hiashi. "I saw so much of it on the way. Trees for hundreds and hundreds of miles."

"Yes," said Hiashi, quietly.

He sat down on his futon. After a few seconds, he looked up to Hikari, and gestured for her to join him. Surprised, but pleased, Hikari went over and sat next to him, and for a while, they sat in silence.

"Do you..." began Hikari. "...do they let you out of here?"

"No," said Hiashi. "Not out of the village, anyway. I am..."

He coughed.

"...too _valuable_ to perform missions, even simple ones, and holidays elsewhere are not common. We occasionally send people to the capital, but I have been rejected as too young every time I applied."

"Really?" said Hikari. "Too young?"

Hiashi rubbed the side of his neck.

"But you train anyway?" asked Hikari, nodding to the books on the tables.

"If I become heir to the clan," said Hiashi, "I will have Hyuga who are ninja as my...subjects. And we are part of a ninja village. It makes no sense for me not to train."

Hikari looked to him, and smiled.

"...they didn't want me to learn either," she said.

Hiashi smiled back, but then quickly looked away.

"So, you can't go out of the village," said Hikari. "Can you go somewhere _in_ the village?"

"Yes," said Hiashi. "I often do."

"Show me," said Hikari.

"...what?" said Hiashi. "Now?"

"You've spent all that time training, and you're not gonna use it for fun?" asked Hikari. "My parents didn't work out I could wall-walk until _eight months_ after I'd learned it."

"What did you use it for?" Hiashi asked.

Hikari folded her arms, looking a little ashamed.

"...dropping stuff on people," she admitted.

Hiashi smiled, chuckling a little, but then he quickly looked down again, away from Hikari.

"Don't look down when you smile," said Hiashi. "People won't see it."

"That's the idea," said Hiashi.

Hikari considered this.

"Then I'll have to correct you," she said.

Reaching out, she gently put her fingers under the curve of Hiashi's jaw, and slowly pushed it up until his suddenly-wide eyes were level with hers.

"Better," she said.

Hiashi's eyes widened, and Hikari could have sworn he started blushing.

"Ah..." he said, his voice very, very quiet.

 _Maybe he does have potential,_ thought Hikari.

"...outside?" he suggested.

Hikari held his chin up for a moment longer, then slowly let go.

"Lead the way," she said.

000000


	3. Chapter Three

000000

 _Chapter Three_

 **Thirteen Years Before The Nine-Tailed Fox Attack**

The clouds above the Leaf Village broke in places, and the way they split the moon's light above mottled the streets below, blue-white beams falling beside long shadows. Hikari followed Hiashi through the streets of the village, treading carefully.

Hiashi crept forth with a practiced caution - holding still for a minute as ninja passed close by, skirting the edges of alleyways, always checking who was behind. Back home, Hikari hadn't been quite so careful, but then again, there was almost always a solid cloud cover when she snuck out, and the silken banners and bright cloth roofs of the Land of the Sun were much easier to hide behind than anything in Konoha.

 _They probably do that on purpose_ , she though. _Harder for outsiders to sneak around._

The pair wove their way through the cool night until they came to a patch of trees in a green park, and Hiashi stopped again, crouching behind a large pine tree's trunk. Hikari followed suit, careful not to breathe too heavy lest the sound alert somebody.

"It should be close," Hiashi said. "Once we're inside, watch your step. I wouldn't call it genteel in there."

"You haven't said what 'there' is," said Hikari. "Are we watching something, dancing, sacrificing pigs, what?"

"You'll find out," said Hiashi.

He stood, and Hikari followed him as they passed between the trees, stepping carefully to avoid rustling patches of undergrowth, as strange birds made their unfamiliar calls in the Konoha night.

He led her up a small hill, and as it leveled out, they came to a clearing with a large, squarish rock in the middle of it. In front of the rock stood a boy, aged perhaps eleven or twelve, with bright, spiked blond hair and brown eyes. He was slowly moving through a kata, his hands pushing and pulling at air.

"You're late," said the boy, finishing his practice as he cast a mild yet self-satisfied look at Hiashi and Hikari.

"Fashionably," said Hiashi, stopping a little way before him.

"Ain't nothing _you_ do is fashionable, Hiashi," said the boy.

"Just let us in, Yuto," said Hiashi.

"In what?" Yuto asked, a mild smile on his face. "I'm practicing kata here."

"At eleven at night in the middle of nowhere?" asked Hiashi.

Yuto's grin didn't change, but the mock-innocent expression on his face faded.

"Better than Katsu," said Yuto. "He just sits on the rock and _stares_ , like that's normal."

He looked at Hikari carefully, then turned back to Hiashi, looking the Hyuga straight in the eyes. Yuto tilted his head towards Hikari, but Hiashi simply stared blankly at his friend. Yuto rolled his eyes and stretched out his arms, rolling his head around on his neck.

"Hi," said Hikari, louder than was probably necessary.

Yuto ceased his stretching and said in his mild drawl:

"You're not a Hyuga."

"Nope," said Hikari.

"That's luck for you," said Yuto, and Hikari could see Hiashi nodding.

Yuto looked back at Hiashi.

"Are you gonna introduce us or what?" he asked expectantly.

Hiashi blinked, confused at Yuto's attitude, but shrugged before replying:

"Yuto, this is Hikari, a girl I'm engaged to. Hikari, this is Yuto Rokkaku. His hobbies are swordfighting and aggravating me."

Yuto waved his hand in a sloppy salute, a smirk on his face.

"You use swords?" asked Hikari.

"Swords, sticks, tonfas," said Yuto casually. "Not in the field yet, though. I'm still at the Academy."

She looked over him more carefully, and got a sudden sense that she'd already met Yuto. She didn't remember him talking this way last time, but she'd definitely seen him before.

"Have we met?" asked Hikari. "You look-"

"Familiar?" asked Yuto, with a tone of mild annoyance.

"You probably saw Minato," Hiashi explained. "He looks a lot like Yuto, but his eyes are blue. Shorter, as well. And his chin's less defined."

"You watching my chin definition, Hiashi?" asked Yuto, smiling despite himself.

"It's a beneficial distraction from the rest of your face," said Hiashi.

"Don't get personal when you're out with Hikari," said Yuto. "You have _any_ idea how to show a lady a good time?"

"And you do?" asked Hikari.

"Don't need to," said Yuto.

"You are kinda young," said Hikari.

Yuto chuckled to himself.

"...yeahhh, sure," he eventually said, looking away with a quiet, slightly nervous smile. "Anyway, where'd you meet Minato?"

"By the gate, when I first just got here," she said.

"Weird," said Yuto. "Seeing him outside of a library."

"I imagine he occasionally needs to eat," said Hiashi.

Yuto laughed, and looked around.

"Looks like you're both the last, anyway," he said, putting his fingers together in a hand sign.

The square rock suddenly shuddered and disappeared in a burst of smoke. As it cleared, Hikari saw a roughly-hewn wooden trapdoor with a seal on it. Yuto tapped the seal twice, and the trapdoor opened, revealing a set of stairs leading into the dark underground.

"Watch your head," he said.

Both ducking, Hikari and Hiashi descended through the trapdoor after Yuto, with Hikari shutting it behind her.

As Yuto led them down the tunnel, Hikari rubbed at the wall to find it was tightly compacted dirt, with faint palm imprints all over it. The dusty floor sloped down for a while, but eventually levelled out again, leaving a good amount of space above their heads. Glowing insects hovered around the walls in gentle circles, growing more regular as the tunnel opened up into a wider space.

In the centre of the room was a large wrought iron cage, circular and with no ceiling, its radius three metres at least. There were more glowing bugs for light, but no candles or torches. Dozens of ninja, none older than eighteen, crowded around the cage, all seated on low stones or the floor, chattering raucously. There were no animals in the cage, and by the way the various ninja were subtly stretching or watching each other, it was probably for people to fight in.

As Hikari and Hiashi stepped into the room, Hikari could see the crowd parting to let Izamu Uchiha through as he spoke to everybody, some with hearty greetings, some with curt nods. From the way Hiashi was waiting for the Uchiha, it was likely that Izamu was the one who'd organised all this.

"Hyuga," Izamu said, gently pushing people out of his way. "Weird seeing you alone here."

"I'm hardly alone," said Hiashi.

The scrawny Uchiha's eyes flicked over Hikari, then back Hiashi, and he seemed satisfied with something. Hikari couldn't see his two underlings from the last time they'd met, so she guessed he was working with Yuto tonight.

"Not smoking?" asked Hiashi.

"Yeah, because I'm an Uchiha, so I've never heard of the words 'fire hazard'," said Izamu sarcastically. "We're in an _underground_ _tunnel network_ , Hyuga."

"It might be overly grandiose to call this a network," commented Hiashi, looking around the room.

"Whatever, Hizashi," said Izamu, shaking his head as he walked away.

"It's-" Hikari began.

"Forget it," said Hiashi.

He took a few coins from a pouch on his belt, and handed them to Hikari.

"Here," said Hiashi. "I'll find us seats. Buy us some food, if you want."

"Where?" Hikari asked, but then she saw it.

A boy, about fourteen, stood in a corner of the room, tending to a skillet and surrounded by cooking utensils. He was cheerfully poking at dumplings on the skillet, beneath which was a fire that burned with no fuel source. Directly above the skillet, there was a hole in the ceiling, presumably to let any smoke or steam escape. Based on his fire expertise, short spiky black hair and facial resemblance to Izamu, Hikari guessed he was an Uchiha.

"Never mind," she said. "What kind do you want?"

Hiashi thought on this.

"Anything without seafood," he said.

There was a small line forming in front of the Uchiha's setup, so Hikari joined it, behind a tall boy with dark hair and a ponytail.

"Alright, Seiro," the ponytailed boy said in a deep voice as he reached the front of the line, "I'm gonna need thirty two dumplings."

The Uchiha blanched at this.

" _Thirty two_?" he said.

"I'm here with Choza," the boy said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at a rotund boy with long red hair. "Thirty for him, two for me."

"Make sure they're good and hot!" called the boy from the distance.

"We're counting on you, Seiro," said the ponytailed boy.

"Shikaku, I can't cook _thirty two_ ," Seiro protested. "I only brought seventy total! Any more and they risk spoiling."

"Couldn't you pre-make some extras before you come here, then freeze them?" Shikaku asked.

Seiro clenched a fist in anger at the suggestion, and shut his eyes.

"No," he said, with great feeling. "That would go back on everything I know as a chef. My dumplings are always fresh."

He pointed at Shikaku.

"That is a ninja's promise!"

"Just make 'em," Shikaku said, handing a fat wad of notes, several coins, and the scrap of a flyer for a new barbeque restaurant over to Seiro. "I'll wait."

Seiro reluctantly pocketed Shikaku's money, and began placing dumplings close together on the skillet. As Shikaku moved to the side, Seiro glanced up at Hikari.

"How many do you want?" he asked.

"Two is fine," she said. "There's no seafood, right?"

"No," said Seiro, "it costs too much, and we're too far inland. It doesn't keep, either."

He sized her up as he put even more dumplings on, almost filling the skillet to capacity.

"I haven't seen you here before," he said. "Are you from Konoha?"

Hikari shook her head.

"Land of the Sun."

"Long way," said Seiro.

"You with Hiashi?" Shikaku asked, behind her.

"Nnh," nodded Hikari.

"Marrying?" Seiro asked.

"...we'll see," she said.

"Good plan when it's Hiashi," said Seiro. "But he's never brought a girl here before."

 _Am I his first date?_ wondered Hikari.

"Yeah, my parents say it's getting around marriage time," Shikaku commented. "They keep telling me to find a girl, but honestly the whole thing's a drag. Your clan setting any of that up for you, Seiro?"

Seiro laughed shortly.

"They tried," he said. "I said no. I think they were relieved, to be honest. Plus, no parents to really push for it, and I'm not from one of the high-up families. Matchmaker's probably glad she's got one less person to worry about."

He knelt just below the skillet and put his hands together in a sign, in front of his chest. He then gently breathed out. A burst of flame flew from his mouth towards the skillet, and it slowly heated up. After a full minute of this, Seiro stopped, pulled his hands away, and stood up again.

"Thirty four dumplings," he said, handing Hikari two. "Poke 'em before you eat 'em, eat 'em while they're hot. Thankyou for your patronage!"

"I'll take four," a short, red-haired girl said, as Hikari walked away.

"You want habaneros in them?"

"Shut up, Uchiha!"

Taking the plate of dumplings and two pairs of chopsticks, Hikari's eyes scanned the room for Hiashi, and she found him seated in a quiet corner. She sat down next to him and handed him the food, breaking apart the chopsticks.

"You first," said Hiashi.

Hikari grabbed the dumpling closest to her, and gave a surprised squeak as she bit into it. It was hot, but delicious. There was clearly a reason why Seiro got such long lines of customers.

Breathing out with her mouth open a little, Hikari waited until it cooled off, and finished eating it.

"How do you know Yuto if you didn't go to the Academy?" she asked.

"Coming here," said Hiashi. "Plus, there are occasionally village celebrations. I usually volunteer, so I can...'represent the clan'."

"Good," said Hikari.

Hiashi tilted his head.

"How?" he asked.

"Better the village works with you than the other Hyuga," said Hikari. "It's leverage. And you seem to handle things out here pretty well."

"No," said Hiashi, shaking his head lightly as he looked at the other ninja there. "Hizashi is the real master."

Hikari made a mild huffing noise.

 _Apparently he doesn't take complements any better than he takes hints..._

She looked around, still seeing no adults in the crowd. It was impressive that Izamu and Yuto had organised all this under their elders' noses. Then again, after a lifetime of being surrounded by ninja, the village's children would probably have picked up at least some tactics and stealth.

"Do you want the other dumpling?" asked Hiashi.

Hikari side-eyed him.

"Girls like it when you give them food," said Hiashi.

Hikari raised an eyebrow.

"I've seen it," Hiashi protested.

Hikari raised another eyebrow.

"I wasn't following people," Hiashi said defensively, "I simply witnessed it."

Hikari kept her eyebrows raised.

"...you have taken too long," said Hiashi, and he took the dumpling himself.

"Jerk," said Hikari.

Hiashi shrugged as he chewed on the dumpling.

"Alright," said Izamu from the centre of the room, just outside the cage's door.

He rose a hand for quiet, and the crowd simmered down.

"Okay, same rules as normal," he said. "Taijutsu only. Byakugan's allowed, Sharingan is _not_."

Amidst calls of this being cheap, Izamu added:

"Come on, we gotta give Hyuga _some_ kinda handicap."

Hiashi kept a dignified silence, despite many ninja looking his way.

"If you're down five seconds or more, you lose," said Izamu. "If someone calls 'I admit defeat', they leave the cage. Hands up if you wanna fight, we'll decide who goes when by rock-paper-scissors."

A few hands, including Izamu's, went up.

"Alright," said Izamu, rubbing his hands together, "let's start with genin-"

There was a loud thumping noise and the sound of footsteps from up the tunnel. Every ninja in the room put a hand to their kunai holster, and Seiro blew his cooking station's fire out, gripping the skillet's handle tightly.

"What is it?" Yuto whispered to a girl with frizzy hair and dark glasses.

The girl held up a hand as several bugs flew into the room, landing on her.

"It's a male Uchiha," the girl said. "They haven't smelt him before, so they cannot give any more details."

"Izamu, run," said Seiro as the footsteps grew louder. "You get tonnes of punishments; my record's clean."

"Like _you_ could come up with this by yourself," said Izamu.

"Hhh," said Seiro indignantly, folding his arms and looking away from Izamu, flipping the bangs from the front of his head.

Everyone in the room held their breath and kept still as the footsteps grew louder and louder, each careful not to flinch as the Uchiha stepped into view.

It was Jiro, the boy who Hizashi had knocked out weeks before. The Uchiha's hulking frame seemed to make the room shudder with every step he took, short hair shaking a little as he cast glances from side to side. His eyes were not red with the Sharingan, but he regarded the other children with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

Hikari realised that she'd grabbed Hiashi's arm by accident. He didn't shrink away from this, instead staying very still.

"Screwed up your door seal," said Jiro bluntly. "Sorry, Izamu."

"Uh...that's...fine, Jiro," said Izamu, nervously grinning. "Ssssso...how can we help you?"

Jiro's wide face developed a smile that sharks would envy.

"Who runs this, apart from you?" he said.

Yuto stood up and stepped closer to Jiro, side-on to the hulking Uchiha in preparation for a fight. Both hands hovered close to his pockets, although there was only a kunai holster on his left side.

" _You_?" said Jiro. "You're what, five foot nothing?"

"Tall enough to hit you in the dick," said Yuto casually.

Jiro laughed shortly.

"Guess you're good with stick-fighting," he said. "One in each hand, right?"

Noting Yuto's confused expression, he added:

"How you're standing."

Yuto quickly moved to a less obvious stance, embarrassment now marring his previous confidence.

Jiro smirked at this and looked over the crowd, many averting his gaze. His eyes wandered a little, as if distracted, but he evidently saw everything he needed to, and found himself unsatisfied.

"What?" he said. "I'm just standing here and you won't even look up."

He scoffed, and looked back to Izamu. Jiro put a roughly calloused hand around Izamu's shoulder, who tensed up as the older boy spoke.

"Lord Noboru doesn't have to hear about this," said Jiro, his arm's position bordering on a headlock. "You know how our clan gets, Izamu."

"...right!" said Izamu, with an unintentional volume born of nerves.

"So I'm gonna walk outta here and forget I saw everything," said Jiro.

He pushed Izamu away and stretched his arms upward, brushing the ceiling.

"If any one of you can beat me in a fight," he said.

There was a wave of quiet muttering amongst the ninja, until at last Shikaku spoke.

"No-one here's strong enough to fight you hand-to-hand," said Shikaku. "Or dumb enough to try."

"I could convince somebody," said Jiro, folding his arms.

There was a long silence.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was in a village full'a ninja," said Jiro. "And I really don't wanna go home yet, so come on!"

The air was very still in the cave, humid from the presence of so many people. Every ninja there was utterly motionless save for breathing, all looking at anything but Jiro.

Jiro let out a short, wordless grunt, sounding contemptuous. But Hikari chanced a furtive glance up at the Uchiha, and realised his eyes had shifted down a little, and he was leaning away from everyone a fraction.

 _He must actually like fighting,_ she thought, staring down at her lap.

She was thinking about looking up again to see if she'd seen right, but found her arm jolted as Hiashi stood up. As she looked up at him, surprised, Hikari could see that he had his Byakugan activated.

"Why?" Hiashi asked.

"Hizashi," said Jiro.

Yuto looked confused.

"N-" he began.

"Yes," Hiashi said loudly, over the top of him. "Hizashi Hyuga."

The rest of the room began to look at each other in confusion, but Hiashi stood still.

"Why don't you want to go home?" Hiashi repeated.

"Why the hell are you asking?" asked Jiro.

Hiashi blinked.

"Let's say I have similar sentiments," he said, his voice tinged by hatred, remembering what had happened to Kikue.

"Then why don't we stay out here a little longer?" Jiro suggested. "You knocked me out before. See if you can do it when I'm payin' attention."

"Fine," Hiashi said.

As Jiro headed for the cage's door, and Hikari grabbed at Hiashi's hand and pulled him around.

"Are you crazy?!" she hissed.

"I can take him," Hiashi whispered.

Hikari stared at him in disbelief.

"...Hizashi managed," he said, his outward confidence deflating.

"That's why?" asked Hikari. "Brother worship?"

"I don't want a feud between our clans," Hiashi said. "Well, _another_ feud on top of our current animosity. Regardless of the outcome, this will finish things. That is Jiro's nature."

"And your solution is 'let Hiashi get beat up'?" asked Hikari.

Hiashi looked down, and an expression of grim determination set in.

"...it's necessary," he said.

 _Uh_ , thought Hikari. _You were almost cute before you went and did this, stupid._

(Of course, Hikari was not in the least bit influenced by how close to cute Hiashi Hyuga got sometimes. Perish the thought.)

Yuto appeared behind Hiashi.

"It's time, _Hizashi_ ," he said.

Slowly, Hiashi turned, and followed Yuto to the cage's entrance.

Hiashi and Jiro faced each other in the middle of the cage, both in combat-ready stances.

Izamu leaned forward towards the cage, more confident now that Jiro's attention was not on him, and tapped the bars twice.

"Go," he said.

Jiro struck first, but Hiashi was faster. His Byakugan blazing, Hiashi quickly stepped away from the Uchiha's punch and jabbed at his right shoulder with his palm, but his chakra needle did not strike true, and the Uchiha simply pushed him away.

Hiashi stepped quickly to avoid stumbling, then began to circle Jiro, dodging the taller boy's swipes. Hikari looked down at his feet as Hiashi evaded Jiro neatly. His footwork was intricate and careful, clearly the result of a lot of practice, and he dodged Jiro's attacks entirely with considerable speed.

"Not bad," a red-haired girl above her whispered. "Better defence than most Hyuga, doesn't try and parry everything. But he's not loose enough."

As Hiashi stepped around Jiro, Hikari could see what the girl meant. For all his work, Hiashi wasn't flexible. His dodges were fast, but too rigid, and the effort spent moving would weary him too early into the fight. Jiro could see this too, and calmly took Hiashi's attacks with almost no impact, always turning to avoid being seriously affected by the shorter boy's chakra needles.

Jiro's strikes did not slow or lessen their impact, but Hiashi's dodges did, and at last the Hyuga was caught in the chest and both arms in quick succession. Hiashi jumped back and tried to parry Jiro's punches as the Uchiha followed him, but he was far too exhausted from his earlier dodging to make this work, and Jiro was much stronger.

Hiashi jumped back again, and his fingers curled towards his palms until they made fists. With one last effort, he threw a punch at Jiro's arm, but it was poor technique and Jiro blocked it immediately, grabbing Hiashi's arm and pushing the Hyuga into the iron bars of the cage.

Hiashi winced as his back hit the metal, then gasped as Jiro pushed his left forearm into Hiashi's neck, half-choking him. Hiashi's left arm was held up in the air awkwardly, trapped by Jiro's forearm as well. The Hyuga tried to jab his right palm at Jiro, but the Uchiha calmly grabbed it with his own right hand, and slammed it into the bars.

Hikari stood, but didn't move from her seat, watching as Hiashi pushed himself as far back into the bars as he could, and fruitlessly struggled to push Jiro's arm away from his neck with his right hand.

He looked perplexed as he realised that Jiro wasn't pushing further, nor was he pulling away.

"Hiashi," Jiro said.

Noticing Hiashi's surprised expression, the Uchiha gestured up at the Hyuga's bare forehead.

"Headband," he said.

Hiashi nodded slowly.

 _No curse mark or forehead protector,_ thought Hikari. _Weird that he picked that up._

Jiro put his free hand on his left arm, and pushed a little further into Hiashi's neck.

"Why lie to me?" he said.

"You wouldn't give up on fighting here," Hiashi said, his breathing becoming laboured. "Someone had to take the fall."

"And falling's all you do, right?" said Jiro.

Hiashi did not respond, and as Jiro looked around, nobody else spoke to Hiashi's defence.

"I'm waiting for someone to correct me," Jiro said.

"You like compliance," Hiashi said.

Jiro looked back at him and tilted his head sideways, his right hand's grip on his left arm tightening.

"Other people's, and your own," Hiashi continued. "It's so much simpler, isn-"

Hiashi was cut off as Jiro pushed his arm in further, but he spat out:

"What did they promise you? The leaders of your clan."

"This is when most people would shut up," Jiro said.

Hiashi swallowed, his head shaking from Jiro's pressure, and Hikari took a step towards the cage.

"Then I have to go further than most people," Hiashi said.

Jiro's mouth opened a little as his brows furrowed, regarding Hiashi carefully. His arm did not lower its pressure on the Hyuga boy's neck, and Hikari stepped between other ninja and opened the gate, despite the looks of warning Izamu and Yuto both gave her.

"Uchiha," she said, entering the ring.

Jiro looked back at her, and Hiashi breathed a little more freely as Jiro pulled his muscular arm back a fraction from Hiashi's neck.

The Uchiha regarded Hikari with uncertainty and caution, listening carefully. Behind him, Hiashi shifted his head a little, and he nodded thanks to Hikari, his eyes closed.

 _What would you do if I wasn't here?_ Hikari thought, annoyed, but she returned her attention to Jiro.

"You know _mukade_?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Jiro said.

Mukade were vicious centipedes native to the Land of Fire, their venom highly dangerous. Even touching one would cause severe skin irritation, and their bites were painful and sometimes deadly. They crawled around in hot, humid places, and they grew as long as a human arm.

"If you kill one, more show up," said Hikari.

"...yeah?" Jiro said, expectantly.

"You think your clan'd show up to help you?" she asked. "Not Izamu or Seiro. The ones who send you places like this."

Jiro smirked.

"Somehow I don't think I'm gonna die here," he said.

"No," Hikari said. "But some day, when you get sent out and don't come back, all they're gonna miss is how useful you were to them."

Jiro's smirk faded, and he looked pensive.

"They won't send me out," he said, as if trying to convince himself.

"Then this is all you have," Hikari said, gesturing around to Konoha in general. "Maybe you don't like it sometimes."

She glanced at Hiashi.

"Maybe there's a lot wrong with it," she said.

She looked back at Jiro, then at the ninja around her. None spoke or moved, but all had leaned a little closer towards the cage.

"But it can go somewhere better," she finished.

Jiro looked doubtful.

"How?"

"...depends on what you do," Hikari said.

To Hikari's surprise, Jiro seemed genuinely affected by her words. She'd hoped to distract him long enough for Hiashi to admit defeat - although all things considered, he probably wouldn't - but this was better.

Jiro looked Hikari up and down with a thoughtful eye, thinking.

"Land of the Sun," he finally said, gesturing down at the robes Hikari was wearing.

"...yeah," said Hikari, surprised that somebody like Jiro would know of anything outside of Konoha.

Jiro nudged his head towards Hiashi, behind him.

"You came a long way to marry this loser," he said.

'You're not fighting a loser," Hikari said.

"Hm," said Jiro.

He raised his arm from Hiashi's neck, then grabbed the Hyuga by the back of his robes and flung him to the ground, hard.

"I win," Jiro said, walking towards the cage's exit.

Hiashi groaned as he slowly raised his head up from the floor, then let it drop down again.

Hikari looked down at Hiashi as he lay on the floor of the cage before her, slowly struggling to get up again. His long hair was messy from grappling with Jiro, and a torn sleeve revealed a bruise rapidly forming on one of his arms. She glanced over to Yuto through the bars. The blond boy gave an annoyed sigh, but with a show of great reluctance and eye-rolling, he pushed himself up and walked over to Hikari, giving the nearby Jiro a wide berth. The hulking Uchiha, for his part, seemed casually interested in his surroundings, but his dark eyes showed no hint of aggression for now.

Together, Hikari and Yuto stuck their arms under Hiashi's, and they lifted the beaten Hyuga to a standing position. The pair helped Hiashi hobble across the cage floor and back to the seats, where the seated genin watched, some with contempt and others respect for Hiashi's wounds suffered.

"One'a these days, you're gonna get into actual trouble," Yuto said as he and Hikari set Hiashi down.

Wincing as he sat, Hiashi admitted:

"...that _was_ possibly too much at once."

Hikari gave Yuto a look of gratitude, and she put her arm around Hiashi's shoulders so he didn't collapse from his seat. Yuto let go and moved a few seats down, and the other genin in the seats all began quietly talking to each other again.

"Thankyou," Hiashi said.

"You should learn how to talk your way out of problems," said Hikari.

"I daresay the clan requires me to talk enough," Hiashi said.

"They talk, but they don't say anything," Hikari said dismissively. "That's not how you are."

Hiashi frowned as he searched his mind for what Hikari could have meant. As he realised, his confused expression slowly lessoned, until at last it was gone entirely, and he was smiling a little.

"...tonight, in front of the clan?" he asked.

Hikari nodded.

"That is what I want to be," he said. "All the time."

"So be that," Hikari said. "There's no point lying when everyone knows who you really are."

"But you're fine with disguises?" Hiashi asked.

Hikari tilted her head.

"I'm guessing when you left the palace in secret, you weren't still acting as a princess," Hiashi said.

"I'm not a princess," Hikari said. "Or a Lady. I'm just...Hikari."

"You can't just cast those things aside," said Hiashi.

 _Of course you can,_ Hikari thought. _You just have to realise._

Hiashi thought more.

"Well...you could abdicate," he said.

"No," said Hikari. "I'm the youngest of three. My oldest sister Yoko is in line for the throne. She's the only one you're meant to actually call Princess. Me and my other sister Mitsuko are both called Lady. We're the same level as other nobles. You can't drop out of that."

She put her hands in her lap and stood up straighter.

"But that's _what_ I am, not who I am," she said.

"I don't think there's a difference," Hiashi said.

Hikari raised an eyebrow and tilted her head upward, looking down at Hiashi.

"Are you a clan heir right now?" she asked.

"No," he said quickly.

"Hmm," said Hikari, satisfied as she sat back in her seat.

"That doesn't mean I'm _never_ a clan heir," Hiashi said.

Hikari froze.

She hoped Hiashi would press his point, but he simply fell silent again. He didn't take initiative much, and normally that didn't bother her, but now she really wanted him to say something, anything, the better to twist the argument.

People kept calling her 'Lady Hikari', even here, when ninja were supposed to only care about military rank. She wasn't even a Lady of the Land of Fire, so why would it matter what she was back home? She'd have to correct them, and make it stick.

 _I'm not a princess_ , Hikari thought. _My parents are just a queen and a lord consort. I've always been Hikari._

Hiashi remained silent.

"So..." Hikari said, hoping to test him. "...what am I right now?"

Hiashi looked her over for a long time.

"I don't know yet," he finally said.

Hikari rolled her eyes and sat back again, not looking at him. For a boy who didn't like his clan in the slightest, he was more than fulfilling their habit of being obtuse.

 _I'm Hikari,_ she thought, with a great deal of determination.

Saying she was anything else was lying.

"So," said Izamu.

The lanky Uchiha ringmaster of the amateur fighting ring clapped his hands together once, then rubbed them.

"Anybody else?" he asked the genin around him.

The chatting between assorted ninja dropped to whispers, and a great deal of the genin present encouraged one another, but ultimately none came forth.

"Alright, let's call it a night," said Izamu.

"Good," said a voice from the shadows. "I wouldn't want to interrupt."

The source of the voice stepped out from the shadows, revealing a tall ninja with grey-white hair. He was wearing the dark green jacket of a Konoha jonin, and he moved with the confident grace of a well-trained soldier. Hikari saw that his face wasn't that wrinkled, so he couldn't have been that old. He looked over the cautious faces of the children in front of him, neither frowning nor smiling, and casually stepped around the ring, looking from it to the audience and back again.

"Who's that?" she whispered to Hiashi.

"Sakumo Hatake," he murmured back. "They say he can move faster than sound."

"Depends on the medium, Hiashi," said Sakumo, his back to the Hyuga.

Hiashi tensed up as Sakumo turned to look at him. The white-haired jonin looked concerned as he saw Hiashi's wounds, and asked:

"Are you alright, son?"

Hiashi thought carefully before answering.

"My mistake, sir," he said.

"That's not what I asked," Sakumo said.

"...yes, Sakumo-sensei," said Hiashi.

Sakumo's eyebrow raised a fraction, but he remained otherwise impassive, and Hikari thought he was about to move on.

"Lady Hikari," the shinobi said, looking straight at her.

Hikari bristled at that unwanted prefix, and her mouth began to open to correct him. But Hiashi's head shook a miniscule 'no'.

Hikari didn't trust Hiashi not to do something stupid, but she trusted him to know Leaf ninja better than her, so she shut her mouth. Avoiding Sakumo's gaze but unwilling to look away completely, Hikari focused on his village headband, the metal covered with dozens and dozens of tiny scratches and nicks.

"Why are you here?" Sakumo asked.

Out of her peripheral vision, Hikari could see Hiashi shake his head again, and she almost shot a glare at the Hyuga. She might not have a deep understanding of this particular sensei, but she understood enough to not make a complete idiot of herself.

"I felt like it," she said.

She could see Hiashi flinch a little at this, but it was the truth. Her parents had forced her into Konoha and the Hyuga Clan and a marriage with Hiashi, but she would see her way through it, on her terms.

 _I'm Hikari_ , she thought. _And if Hiashi could work out he's Hiashi..._

"Please be careful," Sakumo said. "You're not a ninja. And your parents would be worried if they found out you got hurt."

Sakumo turned away from her, and missed her harsh glare.

Then, she saw the people watching her - shinobi and kunoichi, all young, all staring with expressions of mistrust on their faces - and she felt an abiding sense of shame.

She'd failed to be one of them. She wasn't a ninja, that much was clear, but she hadn't _tried_ to follow their ways. The respect they gave Sakumo was something she'd ignored, and that marked her. The Hyuga had rejected her as a foreigner, but these people had accepted her as an equal. Not a princess, but as Hikari. And she had just protected herself using her royal bloodline, like the worst kind of spoiled brat she'd delighted in mocking back home.

She glanced at Hiashi, who didn't return her gaze. He couldn't be a ninja, but he still seemed to fit in fine before she'd shown up. Would he lose respect from what she'd done?

 _He fought Jiro_ , Hikari thought stubbornly. _Almost got himself killed if I hadn't-_...

Her glare vanished in the light of a revelation.

 _...my parents._

Her parents knew who she was. They'd been exasperated for years with who she was. But even with the growing distance between Hikari and her mother and father, she knew they loved her. They frequently couldn't stand her, but they loved her regardless. And if she couldn't stand to see Hiashi do something that could hurt him, having known him for a month, having _only just_ realised he wasn't a callous bastard...

 _Dammit_ , Hikari thought.

Being sent here was the price of failure. And she had failed again.

"Izamu, I'm guessing this was your idea," Sakumo said.

"...yeah," said Izamu.

The other ninja, who had formerly fallen silent in the wake of Sakumo's appearance, suddenly began muttering to each other in surprise.

"I can't lie about it _now_ , morons!" Izamu said.

Sakumo yawned and stretched.

"I don't want to have to drag all of you to Commissioner Kiyoshi or the Hokage," he said. "Besides, I'm really hungry, now I've smelled dumplings."

Seiro, who had been playing dead in the corner, slowly began to inch his way back to a sitting position.

"And, all told, I'd rather get back to reading my book," Sakumo said. "But I can't let you keep doing this. This could easily be dangerous."

"...yes, Sakumo-sensei," Izamu said, standing up straighter than he had before.

There was a sudden rush of mutters amidst the genin as Yuto stepped forward to join Izamu.

"I was also involved, sir," Yuto said.

"Hm," said Sakumo, with the air of someone who'd been looking for a missing sock and had found a thousand-ryo note.

Sakumo looked over to the corner of the room, where Jiro stood.

"Jiro," Sakumo said. "Outside, now."

"Okay," said Jiro casually, sounding entirely unsurprised, and he got up and walked down the hallway, pausing briefly to nod shortly to Izamu and Yuto.

After he'd left, Sakumo regarded everyone's faces carefully.

"You know, there _might_ be an underground fighting ring here, or there might not," he said. "I guess I'll check again later to make sure I'm not just dreaming."

With this, he turned and left the same way Jiro had.

"How come _you_ spoke up?" asked Izamu, looking at Yuto. "You feel guilty?"

"Ain't lettin' you get all the credit," said Yuto. "And no family, so no foul."

"Must be nice," muttered Seiro from the distance.

"Try it," said Yuto, with unusual intensity.

Seiro's eyes widened, and he stumbled a little as he began to clear up his cooking equipment.

As Yuto looked out at the tunnel leading up to the surface, Hiashi gently nudged Hikari with his hand. She looked at him, and he quickly and subtly ran a finger across his throat, then glanced at Yuto. She nodded shortly, resolving to remember Yuto's orphan status.

"Alright, looks like it's over for a while," Izamu said to everyone else, sticking his hands around his belt. "We'll get back to you once we've found someplace else to hold it. Now go on, 'fore someone worse shows up."

The denizens of the room began to stand and gather their things, quickly walking up the tunnel towards the exit in single-file. Izamu nodded briefly as they passed him, and as the crowd thinned, he stepped past the cage and over to Hiashi and Hikari, who were still seated.

"You didn't fight that bad, Hyuga," Izamu said, surprise mixed with a tinge of pride.

 _Thank the gods_ , Hikari thought.

Knowing how important this seemed to be to Hiashi, it was a relief that her stupid, immature words with Sakumo hadn't dragged Hiashi down with her.

 _Wait, what gods_ _ **do**_ _they worship here?_ she thought. _Am I gonna have to remember the mountain chants off the top of my head, or should I switch to Leaf gods?_

"I'd be offended, but you didn't fight at all," said Hiashi.

" _And_ you're way less uptight now," said Izamu.

He looked at Hikari.

"Something happen?" he asked her, smirking.

Hikari brushed her hair down and gave Izamu a sweet, wicked smile.

"Step closer," she said. "I can make sure it'll never happen to you."

Izamu laughed, but he instinctually stepped away from the two of them and quickly left, running a finger across the walls.

More ninja left the room, bottlenecking at the tunnel entrance, with Seiro carefully avoiding the gaze of Yuto, the short Uchiha clutching a large scroll he had sealed his cooking utensils into. One, however, deviated from the line, and followed Izamu's path to meet with Hikari and Hiashi.

She had bright red hair, the kind of colour that reminded Hikari of an exotic vegetable called a tomato. The girl wore a ragged orange robe, its edges magenta, which was heavily patched with awkward, clumsy stitching, clearly the result of considerable wear. However, by the way the girl puffed out her chest and grinned with confidence, she didn't care about its ramshackle appearance. In fact, guessing by the way she gently patted it, she'd probably done the sewing herself.

"Decent job, Hyuga," she said, punching Hiashi in the arm.

Hiashi blinked twice, very quickly.

"... _ow_ ," he said.

The girl rolled her eyes and shifted focus to Hikari, her long, bright red hair swaying with the motion.

"You're from the Land of the Sun?" the girl asked.

"Nnn," Hikari said, nodding.

"You do nice patterns," said the girl, looking down at Hikari's robes.

"They'll probably get cheaper," Hikari said. "Once Sun merchants get better trade route access."

She looked to Hiashi.

"Wait," said the girl. "Hyuga deal with that stuff. Are you two...?"

"Yeah," Hikari said.

The girl gave a loud snort.

"Clans," she said, contemptuously.

"You're _in_ a clan," said Hiashi.

"You think we count?" asked the girl, genuinely surprised. "Thanks, Hyuga."

Hiashi shrugged modestly, and the girl watched him for a few seconds before deciding to think nothing of it.

"Your boyfriend and his brother are okay, so you'll get by," she said to Hikari. "Don't let anything stop you raising hell."

She nodded to both of them, then quietly walked off up the tunnel.

"Kushina Uzumaki," Hiashi said, watching her leave. "She's from the Land of Whirlpools."

"...oh," said Hikari, looking down.

That country had suffered an invasion, bad enough that news of the Whirlpool peoples' suffering had even reached the distant and peaceful Land of the Sun. The Land of Whirlpools had been an island even further to the west than Konoha, across a stretch of sea. Its towns and ninja village had all been destroyed, its crops set alight and salted, and the remnants of its population had scattered across the Land of Fire. She remembered Kegawa saying that many of them had come to Konoha, and the fatherly sensei had been unusually harsh in rebuking his Tosuda for saying that there were _too_ many, but beyond that, Hikari knew nothing of Whirlpool culture.

"Don't pity her," Hiashi said. "She'll attack you."

Hikari laughed.

"Can you walk?" she asked Hiashi.

"I'll certainly walk out of here," he said, and he stood without her assistance.

They walked back up the tunnel in relative silence, both tired from their time underground. Slowly, Hiashi began to lag behind, and Hikari dragged him forth.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get you home, before you bleed on everything."

"The compound isn't home," Hiashi corrected. "I only live there."

As the two of them opened the trapdoor and walked up the stairs, it suddenly occurred to Hikari that she knew that exact feeling.

She watched Hiashi stare out at the village before him, stars above and dim lights below, trying to guess what he could be feeling.

 _ **This**_ _is home_ , she thought. _At least, for him._

She watched his growing smile, and decided that there was _something_ in Hiashi Hyuga worth looking into.

000000

Hikari lay next to Hiashi on a wide, rolled-out futon, the room's lights off.

 _Huh_ , she thought. _Next to a boy. In a bed._

She'd never really bothered with anything like that back home. Any _hint_ of the _possibility_ that she _might_ like someone would be taken as an invitation for her sisters to mercilessly tease her and attempt to set up 'romantic situations', and no amount of complaining to her parents could put a stop to it. She'd seen boys working in the palace that had caught her eye, but she'd never felt the need to get much further than flustering them by winking, and the court was mostly old people. Her in-disguise adventures in the city proper had given her an unconventional yet solid education on how relationships worked, but they hadn't exactly produced many targets for her romantic interest.

She had to admit, much as it all annoyed to her, she was lucky in that regard. As the youngest of three, Hikari had considerable leeway in choosing who she could marry. Mitsuko and Yoko would inevitably end up with the sons of high-ranking lords, hoping to produce heirs to the throne of the Land of the Sun. And if only she'd been a bit smarter, she could have stayed there too. If she'd just picked some agreeable minor noble and made do, she might still be back home.

But now she was _lying_ next to someone she'd known for barely a month. Someone who, despite being abjectly clueless and frequently maddeningly stupid, was genuinely loyal and just.

Hikari stared at him as he looked up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing the curve of his face in profile. His expression was peaceful, and he breathed gently, long smooth hair shining a little even in the very low light.

 _When he's_ _ **not**_ _obsessing about how he's terrible and deserves every punishment possible, he's kinda-_

Hiashi turned to look at her, his pale, pupilless eyes focusing on hers, and Hikari suddenly became very aware of how close they were together.

"So..." she said, stalling for time, wondering how she could break this awkward tension.

"Do you want to live here?" Hiashi said.

Before she could answer, he added:

"This room. Not the compound. Although if you live in this room, you must by necessity also live in the compound."

He thought further.

"Unless the compound mysteriously disappears for some reason," he said, with a suspiciously low and fast voice.

"Yeah," Hikari said. "I can move my bed to here. We'll put up a curtain or something, so you're not scandalised when I'm changing."

Hiashi smiled for a moment, but then his expression turned serious.

"Hikari," he said. "I...should tell you something."

"You're fine with watching me changing?" she suggested.

Against her hopes, Hiashi didn't blush again, which made Hikari feel somewhat put out - it was oddly endearing, watching him squirm. Instead, his concerned look grew a little more pained, and her smile disappeared. She tried to look supportive, and waited for him to speak again.

"My fourth option for a wife," said Hiashi. "She-..."

He shut his eyes.

"I-..." he tried to start again, but his voice was strained, and his breaths had become slow and ragged.

Hikari reached across to him, putting one hand across his chest, and the other on his left hand. She could feel his heart beating rapidly, and she squeezed his hand gently.

"You don't have to say," she said.

His eyes slowly opened again, and he looked at her with great sympathy.

"Hikari," he said, "how are we going to get you home?"

"I can't," she said. "If Konoha sends me back-"

"Then blame Konoha," said Hiashi. "You can blame the Hyuga clan, or me. It won't matter, as long as you're out of here."

"I'm not leaving you," Hikari said. "But we're not getting married, either."

Hiashi watched her carefully.

"How do you plan to do both of those things at once?" he asked, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"Slow their plans down," Hikari said. "After all, they can't convince us to get married if we can't even stand to be in the same room together."

Hiashi thought.

"That would take considerable effort," he said. "They would have to believe we truly, genuinely hate each other."

"Shouting matches in public?" suggested Hikari.

"At the very least," said Hiashi. "Constant baseless insults, petty sniping, emotional meltdowns..."

They looked at each other, plans already forming in their minds, closer than either could have suspected.

"Hikari," said Hiashi, "will you help me ruin our marriage?"

Hikari slowly developed a devious smile.

"It'll never happen at all," she said.

000000


End file.
